22 April 2021: Calls for an Independent Ethics Watchdog in New York

Should Albany Hold New Hearings On Ethics Reform? These Groups Say Yes

This report indicates a number of "good government" groups are seeking changes to New York's public ethics laws.

Advocates for stronger public ethics laws in New York state government called on Democrats Wednesday to hold hearings on how those rules could be improved, and whether the current agency that investigates claims of misconduct should be replaced.

In a letter sent to members of the state Legislature, several good government groups asked lawmakers to consider if the state’s current ethics enforcement agencies are effective.

“New Yorkers deserve an independent ethics watchdog, one with the resources and legal support to take on even a governor without fear or favor,” the letter said.

They are also deeply unhappy with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the state ethics watchdog agency they believe has become hopelessly compromised:

JCOPE is charged with enforcing the state’s public ethics laws and investigating when an elected official, government employee, or lobbyist may have violated them. It was formed a decade ago by Cuomo and lawmakers....

“We believe that JCOPE has consistently failed to act independently and is little more than an extension of the state’s elected leaders,” they wrote.

A top concern cited by the groups was the actual structure of JCOPE. Fourteen commissioners are appointed to the panel by the governor and the Legislature — both of which the panel is charged with overseeing.

JCOPE would appear to be ineffective by design. It's as if the people who created it wanted to ensure they would never be held accountable by it.